Educational interventions for asthma in children

Learning self-management strategies related to asthma prevention or attack management can help improve children's lung function and feelings of self-control, as well as reduce school absences and days of restricted activity and decrease emergency room utilization. There were no differences in the risk or frequency of hospitalizations between usual care and care supplemented with self-management education. These types of more rare and serious events may be beyond the ability of education to influence. While more research is needed to make direct comparisons between different types of interventions, the limited evidence currently available suggests that in general, self-management education works well for persons with moderate-to-severe asthma as well as for those with mild-to-moderate asthma. Peak flow-based educational strategies generally show greater effects than symptom-based strategies. Beneficial effects on measures of physiological function were apparent within six months, but benefits did not become fully apparent on measures of morbidity or health care utilization until 7 to 12 months following enrolment in an educational program.